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• The ultrathin graphdiyne shows obvious saturable absorption behavior in the mid-infrared regime. • The graphdiyne saturable absorber can modulate the erbium-doped fluoride fiber laser to deliver stable nanosecond pulse. • The wavelength-tunable nanosecond pulse can be obtained with the help of the volume Bragg grating. Nonlinear optical materials and components operating in the mid-infrared (MIR) range are of paramount importance for nonlinear optical modulation. Here, we have prepared the ultrathin 2D graphdiyne (GDY) and found that 2D GDY shows obvious nonlinear optical absorption in the mid-infrared regime. The integration of a GDY saturable absorber into an erbium-doped fiber laser resulted in the successful achievement of stable nanosecond pulse output. In addition, a wavelength tunable range of 2779 to 2835 nm has been realized with the help of the volume Bragg grating. The experimental results demonstrate that GDY can function as a stable MIR pulse modulator, and may make inroads for the advancement of stable broadband optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although black phosphorus analogue, bismuthene, has been extensively investigated in recent years, yet the investigation into the photoelectronic devices is still in its infancy. In this contribution, uniform zero-dimensional (0D) bismuth (Bi) quantum dots (QDs) with different sizes were successfully synthesized by a simple solvothermal method. The as-synthesized 0D Bi QDs serve as working electrode materials by a direct deposition for photoelectrochemical (PEC)-type photodetection. The PEC results demonstrate that the as-fabricated 0D Bi QD-based electrode not only possess suitable self-powered broadband photoresponse, but also displays excellent photodetection performance. Under simulated light, the photocurrent density and photoresponsivity of the as-fabricated 0D Bi QD-based electrode can reach 2690 nA cmâˆ'2, and 22.0 ÎĽ A Wâˆ'1, respectively. In addition, the as-prepared Bi QDs with the average diameter of 17 nm exhibit the best PEC photoresponse behavior in the studied size range of Bi QDs, mainly ascribed to the synergistic effect of suitable band gap and accessible active sites. It is anticipated that the uniform Bi QDs can be served as building blocks for a variety of photoelectronic devices, further expanding the application prospects of bismuthene, and can provide in-depth acknowledge on the performance optimization of monoelement Bi-based optical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metformin, along with its biotransformation product guanylurea, is commonly observed in municipal wastewaters and subsequent surface waters. Previous studies in fish have identified metformin as a potential endocrine‐active compound, but there are inconsistencies with regard to its effects. To further investigate the potential reproductive toxicity of metformin and guanylurea to fish, a series of experiments was performed with adult fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). First, explants of fathead minnow ovary tissue were exposed to 0.001–100 µM metformin or guanylurea to investigate whether the compounds could directly perturb steroidogenesis. Second, spawning pairs of fathead minnows were exposed to metformin (0.41, 4.1, and 41 µg/L) or guanylurea (1.0, 10, and 100 µg/L) for 23 days to assess impacts on reproduction. Lastly, male fathead minnows were exposed to 41 µg/L metformin, 100 µg/L guanylurea, or a mixture of both compounds, with samples collected over a 96‐h time course to investigate potential impacts to the hepatic transcriptome or metabolome. Neither metformin nor guanylurea affected steroid production by ovary tissue exposed ex vivo. In the 23 days of exposure, neither compound significantly impacted transcription of endocrine‐related genes in male liver or gonad, circulating steroid concentrations in either sex, or fecundity of spawning pairs. In the 96‐h time course, 100 µg guanylurea/L elicited more differentially expressed genes than 41 µg metformin/L and showed the greatest impacts at 96 h. Hepatic transcriptome and metabolome changes were chemical‐ and time‐dependent, with the largest impact on the metabolome observed at 23 days of exposure to 100 µg guanylurea/L. Overall, metformin and guanylurea did not elicit effects consistent with reproductive toxicity in adult fathead minnows at environmentally relevant concentrations. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:2708–2720. © 2022 SETAC. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the oral microenvironment, bacteria colonies are easily aggregated on the tooth-restoration surface, in the manner of a biofilm, which usually consists of heterogeneous structures containing clusters of a variety of bacteria embedded in an extracellular matrix, leading to serious recurrent caries. In this contribution, zero-dimensional (0D) bismuth (Bi) quantum dots (QDs) synthesized by a facile solvothermal method were directly employed to fabricate a Bi QD/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-modified tooth by simple curing treatment. The result demonstrates that the as-fabricated Bi QD/PDMS-modified tooth at 37 °C for 120 min not only showed significantly improved hydrophobic performance with a water contact angle of 103° and 115° on the tooth root and tooth crown, respectively, compared to that (~20° on the tooth root, and ~5° on the tooth crown) of the pristine tooth, but also exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against S. mutans, superior biocompatibility, and biosafety. In addition, due to the highly photothermal effect of Bi QDs, the antibacterial activity of the as-fabricated Bi QD/PDMS-modified tooth could be further enhanced under illumination, even at a very low power density (12 mW cm−2). Due to the facile fabrication, excellent hydrophobicity, superior antibacterial activity, and biocompatibility and biosafety of the Bi QD/PDMS-modified tooth, it is envisioned that the Bi QD/PDMS-modified tooth with a fascinating self-cleaning and antibacterial performance can pave the way to new designs of versatile multifunctional nanocomposites to prevent secondary caries in the application of dental restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, an isovanillin-derived fluorescent probe IVIP-Cys with imidazo-pyridin moiety was developed for monitoring the cysteine (Cys) level in the macrophage inflammatory regulation of bone homeostasis. The main challenging points were the introduction of the core backbone imidazo-pyridin and the macrophage-participated bone homeostasis. IVIP-Cys showed the advantages of steady detecting performance, high selectivity, and rapid response. IVIP-Cys achieved monitoring the endogenous Cys as well as the Cys level during the macrophage-participated bone homeostasis. [Display omitted] • A fluorescent probe IVIP-Cys developed for monitoring cysteine. • Advantages including steady detecting performance, high selectivity, and rapid response. • Serving a dose-dependent fluorescence response thus a relatively high sensitivity. • Monitoring the cysteine level during the macrophage-participated bone homeostasis. Herein, an isovanillin-derived fluorescent probe IVIP-Cys with imidazo-pyridin moiety was developed for monitoring the cysteine (Cys) level in the macrophage inflammatory regulation of bone homeostasis. IVIP-Cys showed the advantages of steady detecting performance, high selectivity, practical linear range, high sensitivity, and rapid response. Upon the low cyto-toxicity, IVIP-Cys achieved monitoring both the elimination and induction of the endogenous Cys in the uninduced RAW264.7 cells. It also visualized the Cys level in the RANKL-induced and RANKL-induced-then-inhibited cellular models which mimicked the macrophage-participated bone homeostasis. This work raised some useful information for studying the macrophage inflammatory regulation and then the bone homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a new approach for the synthesis of (Z)- N -alkenyl-2-pyridones from 2-pyridones and propiolates using phosphine catalysis under mild conditions is reported. This dual Z -diastereoselective and N -selective reaction demonstrates excellent selectivity, yielding sole (Z)- N -alkenyl-2-pyridones. Furthermore, scale-up studies confirm its practical applicability, with consistent efficiencies observed. [Display omitted] • This work disclosed a catalytic approach to prepare (Z)- N -alkenyl-2-pyridones. • Reactions proceeded smoothly with high Z -diastereoselectivity and N -selectivity. • Easily accessible starting materials were well utilized. • Scale-up tests showed practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel method of degradation of chitosan, by hydrodynamic cavitation using an orifice plate, was investigated. The effects of initial concentration, solution pH, upstream pressure and geometry of the orifice plate on the degradation of chitosan were evaluated. It was found that lower initial concentration of chitosan solution, lower solution pH, higher upstream pressure of the orifice plate, and longer treatment time are favourable for the degradation of chitosan solution. It was also found that the degradation of chitosan solution was dependant on the geometry of the orifice plate. The plates with a larger number holes and smaller hole diameter favoured chitosan degradation. Structures of the degraded products were characterized with Fourier-transform infrared spectra (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The present study conclusively establishes that hydrodynamic cavitation can be effectively used for the degradation of chitosan. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The fathead minnow is a widely used model organism in environmental toxicology. The lack of a high‐quality fathead minnow reference genome, however, has severely hampered its uses in toxicogenomics. We present the de novo assembly and annotation of the fathead minnow genome using long PacBio reads, Bionano and Hi‐C scaffolding data, and large RNA‐sequencing data sets from different tissues and life stages. The new annotated fathead minnow reference genome has a scaffold N50 of 12.0 Mbp and a complete benchmarking universal single‐copy orthologs score of 95.1%. The completeness of annotation for the new reference genome is comparable to that of the zebrafish GRCz11 reference genome. The fathead minnow genome, revealed to be highly repetitive and sharing extensive syntenic regions with the zebrafish genome, has a much more compact gene structure than the zebrafish genome. Particularly, comparative genomic analysis with zebrafish, mouse, and human showed that fathead minnow homologous genes are relatively conserved in exon regions but had strikingly shorter intron regions. The new fathead minnow reference genome and annotation data, publicly available from the National Center for Biotechnology Information and the University of California Santa Cruz genome browser, provides an essential resource for aquatic toxicogenomic studies in ecotoxicology and public health. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:448–461. Published 2021. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a severe subtype of stroke with high mortality and morbidity. Serpin Family E Member 1 (SERPINE1) has been documented to be upregulated following ICH, however, the participation of SERPINE1 in the development of ICH has never been studied. Methods: Hemin was utilized to develop an in vitro model of ICH. Gene levels were evaluated by the use of quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, as well as enzyme-linked immunoassay assay. The activity of caspase-3 was determined using a commercial kit. Cell viability and apoptosis were assessed using 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) d UTP Nick-End Labeling assay. Results: SERPINE1 was upregulated in hemin-treated HT22 cells. Silencing of SERPINE1 attenuated hemin-induced inhibition of cell viability. Moreover, knockdown of SERPINE1 repressed hemin-induced apoptosis in HT22 cells, as evidenced by the decrease in the number of TUNEL positive cells, caspase-3 activity, and Bax expression, and the increase in Bcl-2 expression. Meanwhile, knockdown of SERPINE1 repressed hemin-induced inflammation in HT22 cells, as indicated by reduced levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1β, and inducible nitric oxide synthase. We also found that transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β 1) induced SERPINE1 expression in a dose-dependent manner. Besides, SERPINE1 knockdown attenuated the effects of TGF-β 1 on hemin-induced neuronal damage. Conclusion: TGF-β 1-induced SERPINE1 activation exacerbated hemin-induced apoptosis and inflammation in HT22 cells, manifesting a novel mechanism for ICH progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the rising 2D materials, niobium‐carbide (Nb2C, well‐known as a member of MXene family) has attracted considerable attention owing to its unique physical and chemical properties. In this work, few‐layer Nb2C nanosheets (NSs) with large (≈255 nm) and small (≈48 nm) lateral dimensions are obtained via a combination of selective etching and liquid cascade centrifugation. Their relaxation time and photophysics process are systematically investigated by transient absorption spectroscopy, and the size effect is demonstrated by phonon‐bottleneck mechanism. Ultrafast fast relaxation time (37.43 fs) and slow relaxation time (0.5733 ps) are observed due to the symmetric structure and metallicity of Nb2C NSs. The nonlinear optical properties of Nb2C NSs are studied by Z‐scan technique, and both saturable absorption and reverse‐saturable absorption are observed. According to first principle calculations, these phenomena can be attributed to the special band structure of Nb2C near the Fermi level, where two‐photon absorption or multiphoton absorption may occur under the irradiation of long wavelength light. These intriguing results suggest that few‐layer Nb2C NSs can be used as building blocks for broadband ultrafast photonics and optoelectronic devices and also hold the potential for breakthrough developments in these fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The MXene Ti 2 CT x NSs have a broadband UV–vis-NIR absorption range. • The MXene Ti 2 CT x NSs display excellent photothermal performance in the ophthalmic cells. • The MXene Ti 2 CT x NSs exhibit excellent biocompatibility and biosafety in the ophthalmology environment. • The in vitro antibacterial activity exhibits that the MXene Ti 2 CT x NSs have exceptional antibacterial activity. In recent years, MXenes have drawn extensive interest in many fields due to their unique features. Herein, 2D MXene Ti 2 CT x nanosheets (NSs) are successfully fabricated which not only display highly photothermal efficiency, but exhibit excellent biocompatibility and impressive biosafety in the ophthalmic environment. Moreover, the as-fabricated Ti 2 CT x NSs present superior antibacterial activity against two common pathogenic bacteria (Escherichia coli and Streptococcus mutans), which can be further enhanced under NIR light due to excellent photothermal conversion of Ti 2 CT x NSs. Moreover, the excellent stability for the Ti 2 CT x NSs holds great promises in the practical ophthalmic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Graphdiyne saturable absorber successfully passively Q-switched Tm:YAG pulsed laser. • The Q-switched properties of the Graphdiyne saturable absorber allow the pulsed laser to achieve high repetition frequency output. • The system exhibits a highly stable and tunable pulse output @ 2 μm. • Graphdiyne saturable absorbers provide fast response and high controllability, allowing for effective regulation of the laser pulse width and thus maintaining excellent beam quality. Graphdiyne (GDY), which possesses the advantages of optical transparency, ultra-high mechanical flexibility and excellent optoelectronic properties, has been used in various fields, such as electrochemistry, storage and flexible electronics. Here, GDY fabricated by the Glaser-Hay coupling reaction serves as an outstanding nonlinear optical material that can produce ultrashort laser pulses from Tm:YAG solid-state cavities. The as-prepared GDY-based device has been successfully utilized as a saturable absorber, displaying that the modulation depth and saturation intensity are ∼12.8% and ∼1.14 MW/cm2, respectively. The output pulse duration is ∼895 ns and the pulse repetition frequency of ∼180.5 kHz @2007.6 nm. These results provide that GDY is a candidate nonlinear optical material for generating ultrashort pulses, which is of tremendous interest for potential applications in photonic devices and nonlinear optics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary SIRT1, the most conserved mammalian NAD + -dependent protein deacetylase, plays a vital role in the regulation of metabolism, stress responses, and genome stability. However, the role of SIRT1 in the multi-step process leading to transformation and/or tumorigenesis, as either a tumor suppressor or tumor promoter, is complex and may be dependent upon the context in which SIRT1 activity is altered, and the role of SIRT1 in tumor metabolism is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that SIRT1 dose-dependently regulates cellular glutamine metabolism and apoptosis, which in turn differentially impact cell proliferation and cancer development. Heterozygous deletion of Sirt1 induces c-Myc expression, enhancing glutamine metabolism and subsequent proliferation, autophagy, stress resistance, and cancer formation. In contrast, homozygous deletion of Sirt1 triggers cellular apoptotic pathways, increases cell death, diminishes autophagy, and reduces cancer formation. Consistent with the observed dose dependence in cells, intestine-specific Sirt1 heterozygous mice have enhanced intestinal tumor formation, whereas intestine-specific Sirt1 homozygous knockout mice have reduced development of colon cancer. Furthermore, SIRT1 reduction, but not deletion, is associated with human colorectal tumors, and colorectal cancer patients with low protein expression of SIRT1 have a poor prognosis. Taken together, our findings indicate that the dose-dependent regulation of tumor metabolism and possibly apoptosis by SIRT1 mechanistically contribute to the observed dual roles of SIRT1 in tumorigenesis. Our study highlights the importance of maintenance of a suitable SIRT1 dosage for metabolic and tissue homeostasis, which will have important implications in SIRT1-small-molecule-activator/inhibitor-based therapeutic strategies for cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The synthesis and property of two-dimensional (2D) graphdiyne (GDY) are discussed. • The interaction of 2D GDY with photons shows promising nanophotonic applications. • 2D GDY-based heterostructures can optimize the nanophotonic performance. • Further study on novel high-performance GDY-based nanophotonic device is presented. Graphdiyne (GDY), an atom-thick sp- and sp2-hybridized all-carbon material, is an emerging carbon allotrope which holds great potentials in many fields, such as gas separation, solar cells, catalysis, energy storage and conversion, nonlinear optics, etc. Since its successful synthesis in 2010, a large quantity of theoretical and experimental studies has already exhibited its excellent properties, including eco-friendly character, higher chemical stability, large specific surface area, narrow band gap, and high carrier mobility. Among them, the interaction between 2D GDY nanosheets (NSs) and photons has presented unprecedented potentials in the nanophotonic devices over the past decade. In this review, the controlled synthesis of the well-defined 2D GDY NSs is first briefly introduced. Subsequently, the fundamental properties (band structure, Raman spectroscopy and optical property) and latest nanophotonic applications (photodetectors, photocatalysis, nonlinear photonics, solar cells, surface plasmon resonance sensors, and biophotonics) are comprehensively summarized. Finally, some personal insights on the development prospects and constraints of nanophotonic devices based on 2D GDY are presented. It is anticipated that this review can provide an in-depth understanding between 2D GDY and photons, and further inspire more efforts toward new designs of functional 2D GDY-based nanophotonic devices to promote the advancement of next-generation nanophotonic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel and practical method has been discovered for the synthesis of esters from carboxylic acids promoted by 1,3-Dichloro-5,5-dimethylhydantoin. Reactions proceed smoothly under mild conditions and show high efficiency with good to excellent yields. [Display omitted] A novel and practical method has been discovered for the synthesis of esters from carboxylic acids promoted by 1,3-dichloro-5,5-dimethylhydantoin. Reactions proceed smoothly under mild conditions and show high efficiency with good to excellent yields. A series of carboxylic acids including simple molecules, drugs and amino acids are applicable to this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Members of the tristetraprolin ( TTP) family of CCCH tandem zinc finger proteins bind to AU-rich regions in target mRNAs, leading to their deadenylation and decay. Family members in S accharomyces cerevisiae influence iron metabolism, whereas the single protein expressed in S chizosaccharomyces pombe, Zfs1, regulates cell-cell interactions. In the human pathogen C andida albicans, deep sequencing of mutants lacking the orthologous protein, Zfs1, revealed significant increases (> 1.5-fold) in 156 transcripts. Of these, 113 (72%) contained at least one predicted TTP family member binding site in their 3′ UTR, compared with only 3 of 56 (5%) down-regulated transcripts. The zfs1Δ/Δ mutant was resistant to 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole, perhaps because of increased expression of the potential target transcript encoded by HIS 3. Sequences of the proteins encoded by the putative Zfs1 targets were highly conserved among other species within the fungal CTG clade, while the predicted Zfs1 binding sites in these mRNAs often 'disappeared' with increasing evolutionary distance from the parental species. C . albicans Zfs1 bound to the ideal mammalian TTP binding site with high affinity, and Zfs1 was associated with target transcripts after co-immunoprecipitation. Thus, the biochemical activities of these proteins in fungi are highly conserved, but Zfs1-like proteins may target different transcripts in each species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have aroused great fundamental and technological interest due to their novel size-tunable optical properties, and the resulting potential applications in photonics, photoelectronics and biomedicine. In this study, uniform, ultrasmall, well-defined CdS@CdSe core-shell QDs are successfully synthesized by a hot injection method for ultrafast carrier dynamics activities. Femtosecond transient absorption studies show that the bleach recovery time of the CdS@CdSe QDs increases with the thickness of the CdSe shell. In addition, theoretical calculations were carried out to reveal this characteristic. The slower carrier relaxation of the CdS@CdSe QDs indicates its great potential applications from light-emitting diodes to photodetectors and photovoltaics. In short, this work provides a valuable reference platform for the application of core-shell QD-based heterostructure in optics and optoelectronics. • CdS@CdSe core-shell quantum dots were synthesized by hot injection method. • CdS@CdSe core-shell quantum dots have been demonstrated to have slower bleach recovery time than the original sample. • Theoretical calculations were carried out to reveal the photogenerated carriers in CdS@CdSe core-shell quantum dots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This article reviews the progress of phosphorus-based biomedical materials. • The synthesis techniques of phosphorus-based materials are reviewed. • The phosphorene is especially introduced for biosensing and disease therapy. • The recently discovered disease therapy modality by phosphorene are reviewed. • The future research opportunities and challenges are presented. As one of the main elements in the living organisms, phosphorus makes an important impact on the life activity. Phosphorus contained compounds have been widely applied in the biomedical field. As nanotechnology develops, a variety of phosphorus-based nanomaterials have also been developed for the biomedical application. The recently discovered superior biological property of two-dimensional black phosphorus (2D BP), i.e. phosphorene, including low toxicity and biodegradability, makes it especially outstanding, such as biosensors for the disease diagnosis. Upon light or ultrasound irradiation on the phosphorene, reactive oxygen species (ROS) or heat can be generated for the disease therapy. Moreover, phosphorene can smartly and efficiently deliver drugs. Thus, it is suitable in many single or combined therapy modalities. This short article reviews the progress from phosphorus to phosphorene to be used as biomedical materials, especially the phosphorene as the biosensor and sensitizer for the disease diagnosis and therapy, including the tumor, the neurodegenerative disease, the bone disease and other diseases. The challenges and prospective of the phosphorene for the biomedical applications are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Due to their prominent physicochemical properties, 2D materials are broadly applied in biomedicine. Currently, 2D materials have achieved great success in treating many diseases such as cancer and tissue engineering as well as bone therapy. Based on their different characteristics, 2D materials could function in various ways in different bone diseases. Herein, the application of 2D materials in bone tissue engineering, joint lubrication, infection of orthopedic implants, bone tumors, and osteoarthritis are firstly reviewed comprehensively together. Meanwhile, different mechanisms by which 2D materials function in each disease reviewed below are also reviewed in detail, which in turn reveals the versatile functions and application of 2D materials. At last, the outlook on how to further broaden applications of 2D materials in bone therapies based on their excellent properties is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Unique mushroom-like structures were controllable synthesized by bottom-up method. • The superhydrophobic mesh can serve as marine vehicle with high sailing velocity. • The superhydrophobic mesh possessed superior loading capacity and drag resistance. Generally, the elaborate design of hierarchical micro-nano structures always suffers from high cost and complex procedures, such as laser lithography and plasma etching. Herein, we developed a novel strategy to in-situ fabricate mushroom-like structures constructed by nanowhisker-nanowire hierarchical architectures on copper mesh through a more flexible bottom-up method. The final morphology is highly controlled by adjusting corresponding synthetic conditions. The superhydrophobic copper mesh with a static contact angle of 151.8° and a sliding angle of 3.6° possesses superior anti-fouling and self-cleaning performances towards pollution of daily drinks and dirt. In virtue of the introduction of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), the tolerances of superhydrophobic mesh are greatly prolonged more than 24 h in extreme solutions including pH = 1 ~ 14 solutions and 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. Moreover, the superhydrophobic copper mesh presents excellent drag resistance with a high sailing velocity of 25.38 cm s−1 and a large loading capacity (7.34 times) on water. Therefore, the as-prepared mesh exhibits huge potentials for serving as a marine vehicle with a high sailing velocity, which shows satisfying tolerance in extreme environments. It is expected that this research can pave the way to elaborating hierarchical structures on solid surfaces through manageable bottom-up approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Successfully developed and evaluated a multigene omics-biomarker for estrogen exposure in larval Pimephales promelas • These biomarkers are sensitive and accurate over a broad range of concentrations. • Both piwi-interacting and microRNAs respond to estrogen exposure. • Biomarkers developed using either piwi-interacting and microRNAs are able to differentiate estrogen exposed from non-exposed organisms. The number of chemicals requiring risk evaluation exceeds our capacity to provide the underlying data using traditional methodology. This has led to an increased focus on the development of novel approach methodologies. This work aimed to expand the panel of gene expression-based biomarkers to include responses to estrogens, to identify training strategies that maximize the range of applicable concentrations, and to evaluate the potential for two classes of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs), microRNA (miRNA) and piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA), as biomarkers. To this end larval Pimephales promelas (96 hpf +/- 1h) were exposed to 5 concentrations of 17α- ethinylestradiol (0.12, 1.25, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0 ng/L) for 48 h. For mRNA-based biomarker development, RNA-seq was conducted across all concentrations. For sncRNA biomarkers, small RNA libraries were prepared only for the control and 10.0 ng/L EE2 treatment. In order to develop an mRNA classifier that remained accurate over the range of exposure concentrations, three different training strategies were employed that focused on 10 ng/L, 2.5 ng/L or a combination of both. Classifiers were tested against an independent test set of individuals exposed to the same concentrations used in training and subsequently against concentrations not included in model training. Both random forest (RF) and logistic regression with elastic net regularizations (glmnet) models trained on 10 ng/L EE2 performed poorly when applied to lower concentrations. RF models trained with either the 2.5 ng/L or combination (2.5 + 10 ng/L) treatments were able to accurately discriminate exposed vs. non-exposed across all but the lowest concentrations. glmnet models were unable to accurately classify below 5 ng/L. With the exception of the 10 ng/L treatment, few mRNA differentially expressed genes (DEG) were observed, however, there was marked overlap of DEGs across treatments. Overlapping DEGs have well established linkages to estrogen and several of the 81 DEGs identified in the 10 ng/L treatment have been previously utilized as estrogenic biomarkers (vitellogenin, estrogen receptor-β). Following multiple test correction, no sncRNAs were found to be differentially expressed, however, both miRNA and piRNA classifiers were able to accurately discriminate control and 10 ng/L exposed organisms with AUCs of 0.83 and 1.0 respectively. We have developed a highly discriminative estrogenic mRNA biomarker that is accurate over a range of concentrations likely to be found in real-world exposures. We have demonstrated that both miRNA and piRNA are responsive to estrogenic exposure, suggesting the need to further investigate their regulatory roles in the estrogenic response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The semiconducting property of antimonene are verified by theoretical prediction. • An indirect-to-direct bandgap transition was observed under biaxial strain. • The interaction of antimonene with photons shows potential in nanophotonics. • Bandgap engineering will be a strategy for using antimonene in wider areas. Since its discovery in 2015, antimonene, as an emerging 2D material, has rapidly gained popularity due to its unique optical and electronic properties. Both theoretical and experimental studies have verified its remarkable semiconducting properties, including a tunable bandgap, high carrier mobility, low thermal conductivity, and superior optical response, which are undoubtedly promising for practical applications in numerous fields. Especially, the interaction of semiconducting antimonene with photons has significant potential in nanophotonic applications, and a growing number of related works have been reported in the past few years. In this review, the semiconducting properties of antimonene are first introduced by theoretical analysis of its band structure, carrier mobility, thermal property, and optical response. Subsequently, we summarize the latest research on antimonene with its applications in nanophotonics, including photodetectors, solar cells, photocatalysis, cancer therapy, surface plasmon resonance sensor, and nonlinear photonic devices. Finally, we discuss perspectives for applying antimonene in wider areas based on its semiconducting properties as well as some challenges that need to be overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, gold–nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dot (Au/NGQD) composite modified electrodes were fabricated and applied as "on–off" nanosensors for the photo-electrochemical (PEC) detection of caffeic acid under visible-light irradiation. An effective and simple strategy was established for the preparation of Au/NGQD composites by hydrothermal and calcination methods. Owing to the quantum confinement effect of NGQDs, the local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect of Au nanoparticles (NPs), and the synergistic effect between Au and NGQDs NPs, the Au/NGQDs showed excellent PEC performance, with wide linear concentration ranges (0.11 to 30.25 μM and 30.25 to 280.25 μM), a low detection limit (0.03 μM), excellent sensitivity, and high stability. The present study may provide an advanced strategy for the simple design of Au/NGQD composites to allow their effective application for selective and sensitive sensing of small biological molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although dyslipidemia is commonly reported in dogs, comparative data on the magnitude of serum cholesterol disturbances have not been reported. We aimed to describe the severity of hyper- and hypocholesterolemia in dogs with common endocrinopathies and to evaluate its association with common laboratory parameters. Medical records were reviewed over a decade (2011-2022) for dogs with hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus (DM), hyperadrenocorticism (HAC), or hypoadrenocorticism (HA), and included signalment, common laboratory and diagnostic imaging parameters, comorbidities, and medications. This retrospective study included 53 dogs with hypothyroidism, 54 with DM, 62 with HAC, and 79 with HA., Results: Medians [range] of serum cholesterol concentration ([Chol] s ) for dogs with hypothyroidism, DM, HAC, and HA were 492 [174-1829], 321 [116-928], 309 [151-630], and 112 mg/dL [31-309], and hypercholesterolemia was reported in 91%, 85%, 81%, and 9% for each disorder, respectively. Median [Chol] s was significantly higher in hypothyroid dogs with a serum thyroxine concentration < 0.47 (A = 607) vs. ≥0.47 ug/dL (B = 324 mg/dL) (B-A = -299 mg/dL; 95.21% CI of difference = [-433; -166]; p < .0001), and significantly lower in HAC dogs with serum ALP activity < 1,000 U/L (A = 275) vs. ≥1,000 (B = 360 mg/dL) (B-A = + 74 mg/dL; 95.14% CI of difference = [+ 25; +121], p = .006). Comparison among all studied endocrinopathies showed that median [Chol] s was significantly higher in hypothyroid dogs and significantly lower in HA dogs, whereas median [Chol] s was similar in HAC and DM dogs., Conclusions: Serum cholesterol concentration can serve as a valuable tool to suspect certain canine endocrinopathies., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Background: Patellar fractures, in particular inferior pole fractures, pose significant challenges due to the patella's complex biomechanics and crucial role in knee extension and stability. This study aimed to compare the therapeutic effectiveness and long-term efficacy of two fixation methods: combined vertical wire and mini steel plate fixation versus independent vertical wire fixation. The comparison was based on clinical classification, addressing the ongoing debate regarding optimal management strategies for patellar inferior pole fractures., Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, analyzing 226 patients with patellar inferior pole fractures. Patients were divided into two groups: the independent vertical wire fixation group (n = 117) and the combined vertical wire and mini steel plate fixation group (n = 109). Demographic data, clinical characteristics, surgical outcomes, functional outcomes, pain levels, return to daily activities, quality of life, and both short-term and long-term complications were assessed and compared between the two groups., Results: The combined fixation group demonstrated significantly superior surgical outcomes, including shorter operation times and lower infection rates, despite higher blood loss. Furthermore, this group exhibited enhanced functional outcomes, reduced pain levels, and lower rates of osteoarthritis and salvage procedures compared with the independent fixation group., Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest potential advantages of combined vertical wire and mini steel plate fixation over independent vertical wire fixation in the treatment of patellar inferior pole fractures. The combined fixation method was associated with improved surgical outcomes, enhanced functional recovery, better pain management, and reduced long-term complication rates., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in children has been on the rise, which poses a serious threat to their health and life in China. The purpose of this study was to determine the molecular characteristics, risk factors, and clinical outcomes of MRSA infections among critically ill pediatric patients., Methods: A retrospective case-control study was performed in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of a tertiary university teaching hospital. All children infected with culture-positive S. aureus in the PICU between January 2016 and December 2021 were included. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify potential risk factors for MRSA infection and clinical outcomes of S. aureus infection. All S. aureus isolates were characterized based on antimicrobial resistance, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and Staphylococcal protein A ( spa ) typing., Results: Of 3,974 patients admitted to the PICU, 280 were diagnosed with a S. aureus infection during the 6-year study period. Among them, 43.2% (121/280) were MRSA. All MRSA isolates showed significantly higher rates of resistance to penicillin, erythromycin, clindamycin and tetracycline than MSSA strains. The MRSA strains consisted of 45 spa types and 20 sequence types (STs) (20 clonal complexes), among which the most frequently represented were ST59-t437and ST398-t034. Multivariable logistic regression revealed vaginal delivery, respiratory failure, co-infection with a virus, C-reactive protein (CRP) > 8 mg/L as significant risk factors for MRSA infection. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality during hospitalization between the MRSA group and the MSSA group. Furthermore, independent predictors for mortality in patients with S. aureus infections were the presence of hypoproteinemia, hematopathy, septic shock, respiratory failure, fever, and white blood cell (WBC) > 15.0 × 10 9 /L., Conclusions: The study revealed a high proportion of MRSA infections among critically ill pediatric patients, and found significant risk factors for MRSA infection and poor prognosis of S. aureus infection. Methicillin resistance did not contribute to the mortality in the current study. These findings will provide evidence-based practices to make the strategies of prevention and rational use of antibiotics for pediatric patients with S. aureus infection in the ICU., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2024 Dai, Ji, Zhang, Huang, Wang and Wang.)

An efficient synthesis of cyanohydrin esters via a P(NMe 2 ) 3 mediated direct deoxygenation process has been exploited, circumventing the release or transformation of the CN ─ anion during the reaction. This approach possesses a broad scope and acts as a powerful supplement for the construction of diverse cyanohydrin esters. It offers advantages such as mild conditions, straightforward operations, and excellent scalability, affirming the feasibility and versatility of this approach and highlighting its potential in practical synthesis.

A pregnant female domestic longhair cat ~8 mo of age was referred to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) for a diagnostic evaluation of severe anemia (PCV: 10.8%) after a 2-day period of lethargy. A CBC, serum biochemistry profile, FeLV/FIV testing, and abdominal radiographs were completed and did not determine a cause for the anemia. Abdominal ultrasonography identified 1 viable and 6 nonviable and fetuses, anechoic fluid in the uterus, and a mild volume of peritoneal effusion. A whole-blood transfusion and C-section with ovariohysterectomy were performed even though a definitive presurgical diagnosis for the anemia had not yet been established. Exploratory surgery revealed a left uterine horn torsion with a necrotic base, severe congestion, and 7 nonviable fetuses. Following surgery, the queen made a full clinical recovery. Key clinical message: Uterine torsion can be easily overlooked as a cause of severe anemia due to the relative infrequency of this condition in cats and the low sensitivity of ultrasonography to provide a definitive presurgical diagnosis. Client communication must emphasize the need for a prompt surgical intervention to establish the diagnosis and to save the cat, despite poor rates of neonatal survival. Once the animal is stabilized after surgery, further diagnostic tests and procedures are indicated if the cause of anemia has not yet been identified., (Copyright and/or publishing rights held by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.)

A practical and regioselective direct N-alkylation of 2-pyridones is enabled by use of α-keto esters in the P(NMe 2 ) 3 -mediated deoxygenation process. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions to produce N-alkylated 2-pyridones with high selectivity and generality, and the protocol is shown to be applicable for the scale-up synthesis, which makes it promising for practical applications.

In recent years, the emergence of novel 2D monoelemental materials (Xenes), e.g., graphdiyne, borophene, phosphorene, antimonene, bismuthene, and stanene, has exhibited unprecedented potentials for their versatile applications as well as addressing new discoveries in fundamental science. Owing to their unique physicochemical, optical, and electronic properties, emerging Xenes have been regarded as promising candidates in the community of single-atom catalysts (SACs) as single-atom active sites or support matrixes for significant improvement in intrinsic activity and selectivity. In order to comprehensively understand the relationships between the structure and property of Xene-based SACs, this review represents a comprehensive summary from theoretical predictions to experimental investigations. Firstly, theoretical calculations regarding both the anchoring of Xene-based single-atom active sites on versatile support matrixes and doping/substituting heteroatoms at Xene-based support matrixes are briefly summarized. Secondly, controlled synthesis and precise characterization are presented for Xene-based SACs. Finally, current challenges and future opportunities for the development of Xene-based SACs are highlighted., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Herein, a base metal-enabled chemodivergent cyclization of propargylamines for the atom-economic construction of nitrogen heterocycles has been developed. Due to the different modes of activation of metal to propargylamine, copper-catalyzed 6 -endo-dig cyclization generates functionalized 2-substitued quinoline-4-carboxylates, while iron-promoted cascade amino Claisen rearrangement, aromatization, and aza-Michael addition afford diverse 2-substituted indole-3-carboxylate derivatives. Excellent selectivity, broad functional group tolerance, mild conditions, and flexible late-stage functionalization illustrate the high efficiency and synthetic utility of this chemodivergent reaction.

Background and Aims: Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) has become a leading cause of nosocomial infections with an increasing impact on critically ill patients, yet there is limited data on contributing factors. This study was aim to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors, and clinical outcomes of CRAB infections among critically ill children in a tertiary university teaching hospital in China., Methods: From January 2016 to December 2021, all children diagnosed with nosocomial Acinetobacter baumannii ( A. baumannii ) infections in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) were identified through the computerized microbiology laboratory databases. Among them, children suffering from CRAB infection were designated as a case group, while children with carbapenem susceptible A. baumannii (CSAB) infection were assigned to a control group. This retrospective case-control study was based on two groups of patients to determine potential clinical factors contributing to CRAB infection and death among critically ill children via univariate and multivariate analyses., Results: During the 6-year study period, a total of 372 episodes of nosocomial A. baumannii infection in the PICU were eligible and included in the study. These isolates displayed moderate or high rates of resistance to all tested antimicrobials except colistin. The overall prevalence of CRAB and MDRAB (multidrug-resistant A. baumannii ) was 78.0% and 80.9%, respectively. Several risk factors found to significantly increase CRAB infection included receiving invasive operation (OR = 9.412, p = 0.001), gastric intubation (OR = 2.478, p = 0.026), prior carbapenems exposure (OR = 2.543, p = 0.003), severe pneumonia (OR = 3.235, p = 0.001), and hemoglobin <110g/L (OR = 3.049, p = 0.005). Of 372 patients with CRAB infection, the mortality rate was 30.9% (115/372) and mortality did not differ between children with CRAB and CSAB infections. Septic shock (OR = 2.992, p = 0.001), AST > 46U/L (OR = 2.015, p = 0.005), bone marrow aspiration (OR = 2.704, p = 0.008), lymphocyte <20 % (OR = 1.992, p = 0.006) and age (OR = 1.094, p = 0.002) were independent risk factors for the death of A. baumanni infection., Conclusions: This study highlights considerable incidence rate and remarkable mortality of children with A. baumanni (especially CRAB) infections, and identifies age-specific risk factors for CRAB infection and mortality in critically ill children. These risk factors should be taken into account in pediatric hospitals in order to establish early intervention and rational treatment to improve clinical outcomes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Zhang, Xu, Miao, Huang, Wang and Wang.)

O -Phosphination of α-dicarbonyls via sequential in situ formation of a Kukhtin-Ramirez adduct and a P(NMe 2 ) 3 -catalyzed process has been exploited for the synthesis of α-phosphoryloxy carbonyls. A range of P(O)-H derivatives, including diarylphosphine oxides, arylphosphinates, and phosphinates, are competent candidates to be introduced into the α-dicarbonyls in this transformation, and various α-phosphoryloxy carbonyls are obtained. This approach possesses advantages of mild conditions, simple operations, atom economy, high efficiency, and gram-scale synthesis, which make it promising in the synthesis toolbox.

Black-phosphorus-analog lead monoxide (PbO), as a new emerging 2D material, has rapidly gained popularity in recent years due to its unique optical and electronic properties. Recently, both theoretical prediction and experimental confirmation have revealed that PbO exhibits excellent semiconductor properties, including a tunable bandgap, high carrier mobility, and excellent photoresponse performance, which is undoubtedly of great interest to explore its practical application in a variety of fields, especially in nanophotonics. In this minireview, we firstly summarize the synthesis of PbO nanostructures with different dimensionalities, then highlight the recent progress in the optoelectronics/photonics applications based on PbO nanostructures, and present some personal insights on the current challenges and future opportunities in this research area. It is anticipated that this minireview can pave the way to fundamental research on functional black-phosphorus-analog PbO-nanostructure-based devices to meet the growing demands for next-generation systems.

With rapid and continuous consumption of nonrenewable energy, solar energy can be utilized to meet the energy requirement and mitigate environmental issues in the future. To attain a sustainable society with an energy mix predominately dependent on solar energy, photoelectrochemical (PEC) device, in which semiconductor nanostructure-based photocatalysts play important roles, is considered to be one of the most promising candidates to realize the sufficient utilization of solar energy in a low-cost, green, and environmentally friendly manner. Interface engineering of semiconductor nanostructures has been qualified in the efficient improvement of PEC performances including three basic steps, i.e., light absorption, charge transfer/separation, and surface catalytic reaction. In this review, recently developed interface engineering of semiconductor nanostructures for direct and high-efficiency conversion of sunlight into available forms (e.g., chemical fuels and electric power) are summarized in terms of their atomic constitution and morphology, electronic structure and promising potential for PEC applications. Extensive efforts toward the development of high-performance PEC applications (e.g., PEC water splitting, PEC photodetection, PEC catalysis, PEC degradation and PEC biosensors) are also presented and appraised. Last but not least, a brief summary and personal insights on the challenges and future directions in the community of next-generation PEC devices are also provided., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background and Aims: Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) is a major cause of healthcare-associated infections worldwide, but comprehensive study of clinical characteristics for CRPA infections among critically ill children remains limited in China. The objective of this study was to determine the epidemiology, risk factors, and clinical outcomes of CRPA infections among critically ill pediatric patients in a large tertiary pediatric hospital in China., Methods: A retrospective case-control study of patients with P. aeruginosa infections was conducted in the three intensive care units (ICUs) of Shanghai Children's Medical Center from January 2016 to December 2021. All patients with CRPA infection in the ICUs were enrolled as case patients. Patients with carbapenem-susceptible P. aeruginosa (CSPA) infection were randomly selected as control patients in a ratio of 1:1. Clinical characteristics of those inpatients were reviewed through the hospital information system. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate risk factors associated with the development of CRPA infections and mortality of P. aeruginosa infections., Results: A total of 528 cases of P. aeruginosa infection in the ICUs were enrolled in the 6-year study. The prevalence of CRPA and MDRPA (multidrug-resistance P. aeruginosa ) was 18.4 and 25.6%, respectively. Significant risk factors related to CRPA infection were the length of hospitalization >28 days (OR = 3.241, 95% CI 1.622-6.473, p = 0.001), receiving invasive operations (OR = 2.393, 95% CI 1.196-4.788, p = 0.014) and a blood transfusion (OR = 7.003, 95% CI 2.416-20.297, p < 0.001) within 30 days before infection. Conversely, birth weight ≥2,500 g (OR = 0.278, 95% CI 0.122-0.635, p = 0.001) and breast nursing (OR = 0.362, 95% CI 0.168-0.777, p = 0.009) were significant protective factors against CRPA infections. The in-hospital mortality rate was 14.2%, and no difference in mortality was observed between patients with CRPA and CSPA infections. Platelet < 100 × 10 9 /L (OR = 5.729, 95% CI 1.048-31.308, p = 0.044) and serum urea <3.2 mmol/L (OR = 5.173, 95% CI 1.215-22.023, p = 0.026) were independent predictors for the mortality due to P. aeruginosa infection., Conclusions: Our findings provide insights into CRPA infections among critically ill children in China. They provide guidance in identifying patients that may be at high risk for a resistant infection and emphasize the importance of antimicrobial stewardship and infection control in hospitals., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Huang, Wei, Xu, Zhang and Wang.)

The bacterial accumulation at the margins of dental resin composites is a main cause of secondary caries, which may further lead to prosthodontic failure. In this regard, this study for the first time incorporated 2D MXene Ti 3 C 2 T x nanosheets (NSs) into epoxy resin at different mass ratios (0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 wt%) by solution blending and direct curing for dental applications. Compared to the pure resin, the as-fabricated MXene/resin composite not only exhibited improved mechanical and abrasive results but also displayed gradually improved antibacterial activity with MXene loading which was further enhanced by illumination in natural light due to the high photothermal efficiency of MXene. In addition, the cytotoxicity result demonstrated that the MXene-modified resin did not cause severe damage to normal cells. This novel MXene/resin nanocomposite could pave the way for new designs for high-performance, multifunctional nanocomposites to effectively protect dental health in daily life., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Hu, Xu, Pu, Hu, Zi, Wang, Feng and Huang.)

Among 2D materials (Xenes) which are at the forefront of research activities, borophene, is an exciting new entry due to its uniquely varied optical, electronic, and chemical properties in many polymorphic forms with widely varying band gaps including the lightest 2D metallic phase. In this paper, we used a simple selective chemical etching to prepare borophene with a strong near IR light-induced photothermal effect. The photothermal efficiency is similar to plasmonic Au nanoparticles, with the added benefit of borophene being degradable due to electron deficiency of boron. We introduce this selective chemical etching process to obtain ultrathin and large borophene nanosheets (thickness of ~4 nm and lateral size up to ~600 nm) from the precursor of AlB 2 . We also report first-time observation of a selective Acid etching behavior showing HCl etching of Al to form a residual B lattice, while HF selectively etches B to yield an Al lattice. We demonstrate that through surface modification with polydopamine (PDA), a biocompatible smart delivery nanoplatform of B@PDA can respond to a tumor environment, exhibiting an enhanced cellular uptake efficiency. We demonstrate that borophene can be more suitable for safe photothermal theranostic of thick tumor using deep penetrating near IR light compared to gold nanoparticles which are not degradable, thus posing long-term toxicity concerns. With about 40 kinds of borides, we hope that our work will open door to more discoveries of this top-down selective etching approach for generating borophene structures with rich unexplored thermal, electronic, and optical properties for many other technological applications., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Photothermally assisted superhydrophobic materials play an important role in a variety of applications, such as oil purification, waste oil collection, and solar desalination, due to their facile fabrication, low-cost, flexibility, and tunable thermal conversion. However, the current widely used superhydrophobic sponges with photothermal properties are usually impaired by a high loading content of photothermal agents (e.g., gold or silver nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes), low photothermal efficiency, and require harmful processes for modification. Here, a one-pot, simple composite consisting of two-dimensional (2D) selenium (Se) nanosheets (NSs) and commercially used melamine sponge (MS) is rationally designed and successfully fabricated by a facile dip-coating method via physical adsorption between 2D Se NSs and MS. The loading content of 2D Se NSs on the skeleton of the MS can be well controlled by dipping cycle. The results demonstrate that after the modification of 2D Se NSs on the MS, the wettability transition from hydrophilicity to hydrophobicity can be easily achieved, even at a very low loading of 2D Se NSs, and the highly stable photothermal conversion of the as-fabricated composites can be realized with a maximum temperature of 111 ± 3.2 °C due to the excellent photothermal effect of 2D Se NSs. It is anticipated that this composite will afford new design strategies for multifunctional porous structures for versatile applications, such as high-performance solar desalination and photothermal sterilization.

The emotion-cause pair extraction task is a fine-grained task in text sentiment analysis, which aims to extract all emotions and their underlying causes in a document. Recent studies have addressed the emotion-cause pair extraction task in a step-by-step manner, i.e., the two subtasks of emotion extraction and cause extraction are completed first, followed by the pairing task of emotion-cause pairs. However, this fail to deal well with the potential relationship between the two subtasks and the extraction task of emotion-cause pairs. At the same time, the grammatical information contained in the document itself is ignored. To address the above issues, we propose a deep neural network based on span association prediction for the task of emotion-cause pair extraction, exploiting general grammatical conventions to span-encode sentences. We use the span association pairing method to obtain candidate emotion-cause pairs, and establish a multi-dimensional information interaction mechanism to screen candidate emotion-cause pairs. Experimental results on a quasi-baseline corpus show that our model can accurately extract potential emotion-cause pairs and outperform existing baselines.

A simple and practical synthetic approach for synthesis of aromatic halides is developed. Simple Lewis base, DABCO, is used as the catalyst. This arene halogenation process proceedes conveniently and efficiently at ambient conditions, providing the desired products in good to excellent yields and selectivity., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Uniform, well-defined cadmium sulfide@cadmium selenide core/shell quantum dots (CdS@CdSe QDs) were, for the first time, successfully synthesized by a solvothermal method and chemical bath growth for photoelectrochemical activities. The as-synthesized CdS@CdSe QDs not only exhibit superior self-powered photoresponse behavior and excellent stability under ambient conditions but also display significantly improved current densities and photoresponsivity compared to those of individual CdS QDs or CdSe QDs, mainly due to the built-in electric field, and thus have great potential in the fields of renewable energy and renewable energy consumption for carbon neutrality target achievement.

Photothermally assisted superhydrophobic sponges play a vital role in the fields of waste oil collection, oil purification, and solar desalination. However, the widely reported superhydrophobic sponges with photothermal efficiency usually suffer from a post-/premodification process of harmful materials, high loading content of photothermal agents, and low photothermal efficiency. Herein, an MXene-based melamine sponge (MS) was facilely fabricated by hydrogen bonding interaction between the amino groups on the skeleton of the MS and the polar groups on the surface of the as-exfoliated 2D MXene Ti 3 C 2 T x nanosheets. Interestingly, the as-fabricated MXene sponge exhibits excellent hydrophobicity and high photothermal efficiency under an extremely low loading of MXene Ti 3 C 2 T x nanosheets (0.1 wt %). Moreover, the highly hydrophobic sponge also possesses a high oil absorption capacity as high as 176 times of its own weight and keeps stable under multiple absorption/desorption cycling tests. Surprisingly, the surface temperature of the MXene sponge can quickly reach 47 °C under illumination and has good reproducibility during multiple light on/off cycles. The excellent photothermal performance and large oil absorption capacity of the MXene sponge endow the highly hydrophobic sponge with fast solvent evaporation speed and high-purity waste oil collection (99.7 wt % dichloromethane) under illumination, which holds great promise for oil/water separation, leaked oil collection, and photo-driven waste oil collection and purification applications. It is envisioned that this work can open a new strategy for new designs of 3D multifunctional sponges for high-performance waste oil collection and purification.

Purpose: This study set out to determine the antimicrobial resistance trends of Haemophilus influenzae isolates from pediatric hospitals in Mainland China, which would provide basis for clinical treatment., Methods: The Infectious Disease Surveillance of Pediatrics (ISPED) collaboration group conducted this study. H. influenzae strains isolated from nine pediatric hospitals in Mainland China were included. Disk diffusion method was used for antimicrobial susceptibility test. Cefinase disc was used for detection of β-lactamase., Results: In total, 13810 H. influenzae isolates were included during 2017-2019: 93.17% of which were from respiratory tract specimens, 4.63% from vaginal swabs, 1.10% from secretion, and 1.10% from others. Of all strains, 63.32% isolates produced β-lactamase; 8.22% isolates were β-lactamase-negative and ampicillin-resistant (BLNAR). The resistance to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim was 70.98%, followed by resistance to ampicillin (69.37%), cefuroxime (51.35%), ampicillin-sulbactam (38.82%), azithromycin (38.21%), amoxicillin-clavulanate (35.28%). More than 90% of H. influenzae isolates were susceptible to ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, meropenem, levofloxacin and chloramphenicol. The resistance rate of ampicillin and azithromycin in H. influenzae showed an increasing trend through the years. Statistically significant differences in antibiotic-resistance rates of all the antibiotics except chloramphenicol were found in different regions. The major Multi-Drug Resistance pattern was resistant to β-lactams, macrolides, and sulfonamides., Conclusions: There is a rising trend of resistance rate of ampicillin and azithromycin in H. influenzae. Antimicrobial resistance of H. influenzae deserves our ongoing attention. Third-generation cephalosporin could be the preferred treatment option of infections caused by ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2021 Indian Association of Medical Microbiologists. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Acinetobacter baumannii is notorious for acquiring antibiotic resistance and causing nosocomial infections worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and molecular characteristics of A. baumannii isolates obtained from inpatients and the intensive care unit (ICU) environment of a pediatric hospital in Shanghai, China. Methods: Between July 2017 and January 2018, a total of 88 A. baumannii isolates, including three obtained from ICU environmental specimens, were characterized by antibiotic susceptibility, multilocus sequence typing, and resistance genes. Results: Carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) isolates, which were resistant to all the antibiotics tested except colistin, accounted for 69.3% (61/88) of all isolates. Three sequence types (STs) were identified among the CRAB isolates, and the predominant clone was ST208 (93.4%, 57/61), which included three environmental isolates and 54 clinical isolates collected from ICU patients. Carbapenem-susceptible isolates, none of which was multidrug resistant (MDR), showed a more diverse genetic background with three known STs and 21 novel STs identified. Intrinsic bla OXA-51-like and bla AmpC were detected in all isolates, while bla OXA-23-like was only detected in all CRAB isolates. IS Aba1 - bla OXA-23-like , IS Aba1 - bla OXA-51-like , and IS Aba1 - bla AmpC were identified in 69.3% (all CRAB isolates), 0%, and 65.9% (58 CRAB isolates) of all isolates, respectively. Conclusions: A nosocomial outbreak of MDR A. baumannii ST208 producing OXA-23-like carbapenemase occurred, highlighting the necessity for strict infection control interventions in the ICU.